Gah…
I have some pretty amazing news to share.
On Friday, I reached an incredible milestone. The 100th episode of my podcast, “More Than Money,” went live!!
Hot damn!!
I hope you’ll join me in celebrating by tuning into the episode. Especially because I am in conversation with Karen Hunter!
You may know Karen as the host of “The Karen Hunter Show” on Sirius XM.
Or, as a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist.
As a co-author of several celebrity books.
As an activist.
Or, as a professor.
From our conversation, what I hope you’ll come to know is why she is special to me.
Why I am incredibly grateful to her for how she lives her life, runs her various business ventures. Why I am grateful for her support of me and others. And, for her vision.
I really couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate this milestone than by commemorating the person who planted the seed for this podcast – just a few days after I appeared as a guest on her show.
And weather permitting, I plan to be outside dancing to some fantastic house music this weekend. Which might be happening as you’re reading this :).
Acknowledging this milestone. Sharing it with you here. Hopefully, dancing this weekend. These are a few different ways I am choosing to celebrate this moment.
Before You Move On
Now, I’ve got to ask:
How good are you at celebrating your wins? And what are the ways in which you do so?
Also, do you celebrate the “small” ones, as well as those you’d describe as “big?”
As you may have guessed, I am being a little tongue-in-cheek with the title of this piece and the question above. Because I think ALL wins – small and large – should be acknowledged.
The way I see it you don’t just “win” when you reach the end goal, whatever that may be. You are winning all the time, with each milestone you reach along the way.
But some of us (maybe this includes you) don’t do such a good job of celebrating wins – of any size.
Maybe you, like others, move on quickly to the next thing before pausing to give yourself credit for what you accomplished thus far.
So…
If this is you, let’s chat about the practice of celebrating your wins and why it is incredibly important to do so.
The Practice
Each week, I spend time doing a “Weekly Review & Recap.” It involves me answering a series of questions, one of which is, “What are my wins this week?” (It’s an exercise I encourage my coaching clients to do, too. I also ask them to share their answers with me either via email or Voxer.)
This weekly practice gets me in the habit of reflecting and not by-passing a win, no matter how “small” or “large” I consider it to be. And on the weeks when a win is less obvious, I think about what it is I’m grateful for.
Again, what’s your practice for not by-passing your wins?
The Benefits
I am not a positive psychologist. But that designation isn’t required to know that the benefits of celebrating your wins are aplenty. Doing so:
- Makes you feel good physically. You can look at it as the dopamine hit you didn’t know you needed.
- Is a form of gratitude. When you don’t celebrate your wins, you run the risk of signaling a lack of appreciation of the progress you’ve made.
- Provides feedback, which in turn amplifies your motivation, which in turn gives you the energy to keep pressing forward.
Plus, doing so helps you create the space so that others end up feeling comfortable celebrating (and then, hopefully, sharing) their wins, too.
See what I did there?!
The Ripple Effect
The feeling of pride is frequently an under-rated emotion. Yet, celebrating your wins tends to play a key role in your on-going success. And this is something to feel proud of.
Culturally, there is often an obsession with the future and how much more road there is still to travel. And this frequently pits the present against the future.
But you can opt for a both/and approach: This looks like knowing where you want to go AND having an appreciation of how far you’ve already traveled.
With that, I once more invite you to join me in celebrating the 100th episode of “More Than Money.” Yay!! (You can listen here, or on your favorite podcast platform.)
And also: Please share what you’re celebrating today (or this week)?
I’d really love to know (send me a DM on Instagram). But even if you don’t share it with me or on social media, please share it with someone. Why? Because you never know…the win you share may be just the inspiration someone else needs!
